5 Premier League Players That Deserve a Nomination for Player of the Season

It is near the end of the season and the player of the season shortlist has been announced by Premier League. Of course, anytime there is a shortlist for deciding who is the best, there will be controversy over who was left out. Therefore, I decided to join the controversy and list five players that I think deserve a nomination for player of the season. 

Cristiano Ronaldo (Striker)

Games Played: 30 Wins: 14 Draws: 7 Losses: 9

Goals: 18 Assist:3

18 goals, three assists, two hattricks, and the only player to win the player of the month award more than once this season. These stats alone should already be enough for a player of the season nomination. If the person in question is a 37-year-old involved in over one-third of his team’s goals in 37 matches, this player definitely was subbed from a nomination. The player in question is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo returned to Manchester United to put in this amazing performance for United, arguably carrying the team to be mentioned in the top four race. However, the chaotic and lackluster defending of United leaves Ronaldo helpless. Even though Ronaldo tried his best to put United up in the top four, his performance in the league this season has not been recognized with a player of the season nomination.

Antonio Rüdiger (Centerback)

Games Played: 32 Wins: 17 Draws: 10 Losses: 5

Goals: 3 Clean Sheets: 14 Tackle Success Rate: 60%

Defenders usually are not in the talk for player of the season, but I think Real Madrid-bound defender Antonio Rüdiger really could make a case against that. In this season, Rüdiger has slowly cemented his place in the Chelsea backline. With 14 clean sheets in his 32 appearances, he makes his presence felt in most games he played. The German defender also has a few tricks in his pocket for attacking, scoring three goals for Chelsea. He is also key in Chelsea’s possession game as he has the sixth most number of completed passes in the Premier League this season. Rüdiger’s performance deserves a nomination for player of the season.

Riyad Mahrez (Winger)

Games Played: 27 Wins: 20 Draws: 5 Losses: 2

Goals: 11 Assists: 5

If there is any reason why Mahrez is not nominated for player of the season, it’s only because this Manchester City team is too outstanding. When Mahrez’s teammates Kevin De Bruyne and João Cancelo are already nominated for the award, Mahrez, unfortunately, got left out. Scoring 11 goals and five assists, Mahrez’s record should be impressive enough for him to be among the player of the season nominees. However, he only played in 27 games. That might be the reason why he fell short of a nomination. 

Rodrigo “Rodri” Cascante (Defensive Midfield)

Games Played: 32 Wins: 25 Draws: 5 Losses: 2

Goals: 6 Assists: 1 Pass Success Rate: 91.7%

Talking about Manchester City's talents, Rodri’s claim to be on the nominated shortlist is nothing less than Mahrez’s. You don’t hear about Rodri a lot, but he is a silent worker. He currently has the third most number of completed passes and second most number of touches in the Premier League. The Spanish midfielder also has the second-most tackles and interceptions in the Manchester City team. As a defensive midfielder, Rodri’s attacking record is also rather impressive. He scored six goals and provided one assist in his 32 appearances. All these statistics prove Rodri to be worthy of a nomination, but just like his teammate Mahrez, he barely missed out on being a part of the nominees.

José Sá (Goalkeeper)

Games Played: 36 Wins: 15 Draws: 5 Losses: 16

Clean Sheets: 11 Saves Per Game: 3.3

This will most likely be the most surprising shout on this list. There are reasons why José Sá caught my eye. Let me get this right out of the way, Sá is criminally underrated. When you think about the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, the first names you think about will be de Gea, Ederson, or Alison. But Sá definitely deserves a spot up there. He may play for a midtable team in 8th place, but he is the main reason why the Wolverhampton Wanderers are able to be in that position.

Sá is ranked number four in the number of saves this season and ranking second in save percentage. These stats already show the level Sá has been playing on this season, but the most impressive stat is his number of goals prevented. Goals prevented is one of the advanced statistics that represent the actual performance of goalkeepers. It is calculated by the number of expected goals on target conceded from shots on target faced, minus goals conceded. Ederson is in second place with 2.4 goals prevented, while Sá leads the ranking by more than triple that number. Sá has a total of 7.8 goals prevented for Wolves. Sá might have been overlooked because he is in a mid-table team, but his performance this season deserves to be credited with a player of the season nomination.

With all that said, all current nominees also deserve their spot on the shortlist. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrod Bowen, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Bukayo Saka, Mohammed Salah, Son Heung Min, and James Ward-Prowse are in the eight-man shortlist of player of the season nominees. They have all been phenomenal this season and voting is open for fans to cast their vote on who they think is the player of the season on the official Premier League site.